Usually when a director parachutes in to take over a film from someone else while it’s still shooting, it’s not a good sign. More often than not it’s a sign that the studio has decided to give the original filmmaker the boot (as reportedly happened with Oliver Hirschbiegel on The Invasio****n). But in the case of Curtis Hanson’s Of Men And Mavericks, it would appear that he himself has called in a little help, with Michael Apted stepping in to tackle the final 15 days of shooting.
No, it’s not because any executive has decided that Hanson shouldn’t continue: it’s due to health issues brought about by recent heart surgery.
Apted will take over megaphone duties from Monday, overseeing the last couple of weeks’ work on the film, which finds Jonny Weston playing legendary big wave surfer Jay Moriarty. The plot chronicles his rise to the top levels of his sport, with Gerard Butler playing Rick “Frosty” Hesson, the man who mentored the young Moriarty.
Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, and The Hunger Games’ Leven Rambin are also in the cast. There’s no UK release date set yet. Get well soon, Mr H! And good luck, Mr A!